Selfridges adds latest Bright New Things labels, beauty due in October

Friday sees Selfridges launching the latest stage in its Bright New Things umbrella project that aims to push sustainability further and support/promote young labels operating in this field.

Olivia Rose (left) and Anaak (right) are among the labels taking part in the latest Selfridges Bright New Things initiative The company has selected six labels that it will stock for the next two seasons both in-store and online. They are Anaak which works with communities in rural India and Bolivia, ethical RTW designer Charlotte Knowles, Italian shoe brand F_WD that uses recycled materials, eco-friendly sneaker brand Yatay, zero-waste made-to-order designer Olivia Rose, and homewares brand GoodWaste that uses waste materials to create new items. They’re all now getting the kind of big retailer boost that small brands dream of.

Not that they’re exactly unknown. They’re all names that should resonate with the fashion obsessed global Selfridges customer and despite being relatively small compared to many of the brands it stocks, they have a rising profile on the world stage. Charlotte Knowles, for instance, received a huge publicity boost only this week when Bella Hadid wore one of her dresses to the MTV Video Music Awards.

Importantly too, it’s the first time that homewares has been included in the mix and as of October, the retailer will also be expanding the scheme to take in beauty for the first time ever. Selfridges will share the names of those taking part in the beauty initiative closer to the time but it’s an important step given that the lower price of many beauty items means the message will reach a much wider audience.

The new phase comes as the store’s own research shows most of its customers expect a genuine commitment to sustainability and are actively seeking more information from brands generally, as well as wanting sustainability-related info around the individual items that they’re thinking of buying.

So apart from their products being available in one of the world’s destination retailers, what else do the brands taking part get out of the link-up? The marketing, buying, digital, media and sustainability teams from Selfridges will all be adding their support.

Selfridges has been focusing on sustainability for several years with initiatives around recycled materials in its packaging, the removal of single use plastic from its operations and more. Its goal is that at least half of its products should have an ethical/sustainable profile within the next three years.